Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest Fire Update Lightning activity across the forest yesterday afternoon through last night resulted in the report of seven new fires today, in addition to four starts yesterday. Of the four starts identified yesterday morning, two lightning strikes started two new fires on the north end of the forest, but those starts remained 1/10 of an acre in size after being quickly contained by crews. The other two fires are believed to be holdover fires from previous lightning strikes, with one of those located in the Sky Lakes Wilderness and one fire located south of Mt. McLoughlin. On the 790 fire, which is located in the Sky Lakes Wilderness, (part of the Camp Creek Complex), and under the management of a Type 3 Incident Management team, crews continue to make progress with indirect containment lines and roadside brushing activity. One recent confirmed fire is located in the vicinity of Bolan Lake on the Wild Rivers Ranger District. This fire is approximately one acre in size with initial attack firefighters on-scene. Initial attack crews are currently being assigned to an additional six reported fires throughout the Siskiyou Mountains and High Cascades Ranger Districts. Lookouts and reconnaissance aircraft are scheduled for today to locate additional starts. Yesterday, during the initial attack of the “Rogue River Drive” Fire, managed by Oregon Department of Forestry, the Rogue River-Siskiyou assisted with firefighting resources aiding in their quick response. These shared resources included aircraft and several ground crews. Today, the forest is also sharing aircraft and repellers with the Umpqua and Willamette National Forests for their initial attack efforts from yesterday’s storm activity. The National Weather Service has posted a “Red Flag Warning” for most of the forest through 11pm tonight. This current storm activity reminds us that southwest Oregon has yet to reach the peak of fire season, with fuels remaining extremely dry and vulnerable to new ignitions and quick fire spread. Initial attack resources are fully staffed and ready to respond to new starts. On the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, there are approximately 20 engines and numerous hand crews, several helicopters (being critical resources, helicopters are being shared with other incidents whenever possible) and three patrol units. Incident Management Team #2 is currently staged at the J. Herbert Stone Nursery to facilitate a quick response to large fires. The Type 3 team currently assigned to the Bitter Camp Complex may also be reassigned on an as needed basis.
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 20:33:17 +0000